Charlotte.com

01/08/2003

By AMY LEHTONEN / nbc6.com

6NEWS Video
	Listen to 911 Tape

The captain used his patrol car radio to report the crash at 8:49 a.m.

A woman whose voice was noticeably shaken after watching the plane go down also called 911.

Dispatch: Charlotte-Mecklenburg 911. This is Vanessa do you need police, fire or medic?
Caller: Uh, I’m not sure. We just witnessed a plane crash at Douglas Airport and I don’t know if somebody’s going to need my name.
Dispatch: What happened?
Caller: I think a plane crashed. We saw it go into the ground and now there’s a big fire. It went up and then went straight back down and crashed.
Dispatch: OK, just be advised that everyone is on their way now.

An unidentified man also called 911 from his cellular phone.

Dispatch: 911…do you need police, fire or medic?
Caller: Well I just saw a plane go down at Charlotte International Airport.
Dispatch: Beg your pardon?
Caller: I just saw a plane go down at Charlotte International Airport.
Dispatch: Did it crash?
Caller: Yup.
Dispatch: Was it a big one or a little one?
Caller: No, it was a prop plane, it was US Airways Express. It looked like an ATR or something like that.
Dispatch: Where abouts is it?
Caller: It’s at the airport.
Dispatch: On the airport grounds?
Caller: I believe so I couldn’t really tell. I was, I was going underneath runway 36 right and I just saw lights flash in my eyes and I looked up it was sitting there and I just saw it go down.

Another 911 call was made to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police from a man in a nearby office building who said he saw thick, black smoke coming from the airport.